MALIBU — A tree-trimmer died after cutting into a live electrical wire with a crew at a bluff-top mansion in the 24800 block of
Pacific Coast Highway on Monday, February 17.

The man was brought down by a ladder.

The man had been 25 feet up the tree, cutting off branches, when he accidentally touched a power line with the pole of the tool he was using. Deputies responded to the scene after receiving a call and found the man apparently electrocuted.

His body, still caught in the tree, was retrieved by firefighters who raised a ladder from a truck. The man was pronounced dead at about 10:20 a.m.

While his name hasn’t been released, he has been identified as 50 years old and a Hispanic male; he was a part-time worker for a local landscaping company. No one saw the victim being electrocuted and it is unclear how long he was unconscious. The death is currently under investigation.